Upfront Gwinnett is a new video series focusing in-depth on issues impacting the County.

On the first episode of Upfront Gwinnett: Fighting Fentanyl, a Gwinnett mom invited us into her home to share how the lethal drug damaged her family forever.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid drug and is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

Tasha Edwards is now advocating against the drug following her daughter Breanna's death.

"Out of my three children, Breanna was my most loving child,” Edwards said. “I just have so many memories."

It was Memorial Day Weekend 2020 when Breanna, who recently earned her diploma, went to a party in DeKalb with new friends.

The night before, Edwards was admitted to the hospital. She never received a call or text in the family group chat about Breanna’s whereabouts.

“Everyone was checking on me except for Breanna, which was highly unlikely because Breanna was the baby,” Edwards recalled. “So, I went home to rest and realized Breanna still hadn’t responded. So, at that point, I’m getting worried because it’s just not like her.”

Her oldest daughter then began scouring social media.

“She just started hanging out with this girl… and she [my daughter] went to the young lady’s social media, and she made a post saying, 'Oh my God. I lost my best friend last night,' and it was a picture of her and my daughter."

Edwards said Breanna was given Percocet which was laced with Fentanyl and that’s how she passed away. 

Even though Breanna attended a party in DeKalb, Gwinnett County Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson told Upfront Gwinnett that the fentanyl crisis in the County is no different. 

“My heart breaks for that mother whose child is no longer here, because a mistake, or taking something that she trusted was not going to have the outcome that it did, and now everyone’s life is changed,” Hendrickson said. “When I see the numbers of overdoses and deaths attributed to fentanyl, it’s a big problem here in Gwinnett County. One death is too many.”

Edwards finds writing therapeutic and a way to cope with her grief. In the below clip, she shares a viral poem she wrote about a person transitioning – specifically, Breanna’s last moments.